The Health Foundation is proud to support the Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ), which focuses on the human impact of health care policy through in-depth storytelling. Established in 1998, AHCJ has more than 1,500 members and includes the Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. The Center covers all aspects of health care, including the business of health care, public policy, medical research and medical practice, consumer and public health, health law, and ethics.

Each year we sponsor a small group of journalists to serve as AHCJ Fellows and attend the Health Journalism Conference. The conference is designed to inspire new story ideas and connect reporters with experts. Fellows hear from speakers representing a variety of organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; KFF, a nonpartisan health policy organization; and academic institutions. The Fellowship includes a yearlong membership to AHCJ, which unlocks access to extensive databases, story ideas, nationwide contacts, subject matter experts, and other professional resources.

Scott Scanlon originally wanted to become a doctor, but after realizing he was better at writing than solving chemistry equations, he changed his career path. A veteran journalist, he got his start as a health reporter for a small newspaper in south Florida during the height of the AIDS crisis. He learned early on about the value of accurate, balanced reporting, especially when lives are at stake and policies can influence people’s health and well-being.

Before retiring from The Buffalo News in 2024, Scott spent 10 years as editor of WNY Refresh, a weekly section on health, fitness, nutrition and family life in the Buffalo region. During his last two years, he was the newspaper’s Quality of Life and Solutions Journalism editor. The unique positions allowed him to indulge his curiosity about medical science and delve into a variety of topics about health care and the health system.

An area of particular interest was caregiving. “One in five Americans, whether they call themselves a caregiver or not, is a caregiver at any given point,” Scott explains. “And yet a lot of times, they don’t know how to be connected to resources that are available. I think writing about something like this to inform people becomes a public service.”

Over the years, Scott was a beneficiary of several AHCJ Fellowship grants from the Health Foundation. Each time, the experience deepened his knowledge of health care and made him a better reporter. The annual conference was the main highlight for him, and the comprehensive data and story ideas on AHCJ’s website were also invaluable resources throughout his Fellowship. He maintains that some of his most important pieces might not have been written without the resources from AHCJ. And even if they had, “the stories certainly would have been nowhere near as rich in content and context.”

“AHCJ has been able to teach me how to do the heavy lifting behind the scenes and try my best to make it look easier and understandable for folks—the bottom-line type of information. I’ve learned how to read medical research papers and studies, and—with tips from AHCJ, some of its members, and the conferences—wade through everything to get to the most important stuff.”

By important stuff, of course, he means the facts we all need to manage our health and understand the policy changes that affect our communities.